Bangkok - Tuk Tuks & Temples 2

You can't possibly tour Bangkok without noticing the plethora of beautiful, golden, enamelled, over-embellished Buddhist temples or "wats" seemingly on every street corner. I must admit that after a couple of days, I was kind of templed out.  And then we went to The Grand Palace, in my view the temple of all temples.  My little camera couldn't capture the overwhelming size, beauty and architecture of this place, so I'll just have to provide snippets and you can fill in with your imagination the glow of the golden towers and domes, the sparkle from the translucent enamelled mosaics, the intricacy of the fretwork and the overwhelming sense of quiet awe as thousands of people silently traverse the multi-layered steps to explore the nooks and crannies of this amazing place.

Before leaving for the temple I had carefully chosen a long dress to cover my legs and, as it was sleeveless, I tied a Pashmina over my head and shoulders to cover.  After paying for the tickets and fighting our way through the crowds to the entrance, however, the guard removed the scarf from my shoulders and told me I couldn't enter with bare arms.  He indicated that I would have to go to the shop across the street to purchase a T-shirt. Once again fighting my way through the crowds of people facing the same predicament, I crossed to the shop and managed to find a thin white cotton shirt and hat for 500 Baht.  No negotiating here - they've got you and they know it.  I've never seen so many middle-aged men in shorts buying multi-colored cotton 'pajama' bottoms and trying to make them work. I saw one grandfatherly type in a flourescent pink and black concoction that made me laugh out loud.

Making my way back to the entry, Ken and Darrell's concern was apparent as the cotton shirt I had purchased was very thin and they thought I had been more covered up with the pashmina.  Not to worry - I made it through.  I'll bet the guards have a big stake in the shops surrounding the palace, but it was still worth the trip and the trouble.